Sunday, May 15, 2011

Twisted Nickers - The Knicker Bean

“Watch this magic trick” a friend said as he took a marble-sized
nickerbean and rubbed it on a rough surface. I watched as he placed it on my
skin. The burning sensation caused by that brief amount of friction, reminded
me of a searing hot branding iron scorched on a cattle’s hide. I jerked my arm
away. ‘We used to do that to each other when we were kids” he said with glee.

Never mind that the bark of the tree has been used to treat
malaria and venereal diseases or that new leaves can alleviate tooth pain, this
plant can be used to inflict mild harm on others! “Don’t do that again” I
groused with fiery irritation.

TheNickerbean (Caesalpinia bonducella), aka Gray
Nicker or Nicker Nut Tree is a thorny, shrub that grows along the sandy
coastline of South Florida. It is native to Florida but can be found
along coastal habitats around the world.

The spiny-limb and leaved shrub can grow to nearly five feet
before sagging branches droop towards well-drained sandy soils. They can take
root and grow from there. It’s a bushwhacker’s nightmare to clamber through a
twisted, tangled jumble of vegetation.

Canary-yellow blooms grow on tall stalks year round and give
way to a well-armored, clam-shaped seed pods. As they mature, the pods open and
two gray seeds are released.

Seeds are washed from shore by tides and floods before the
sea returns them to potentially suitable, sun-drenched, sandy soils. As the
seeds float about, scarification, or “nicking” occurs. The seed casing is chipped
away by sand, insects and animals. Once water enters the seed it germinates and
can begin to grow.

Beans don’t always get nicked and I’ll pick up whole ones when
I find them. Who can resist magic beans? If someone performs a “magic
nickerbean trick” for you someday don’t get your nickers in a twist.